Conventional paper or plastic bags are of general rectangular configuration with handles or gripping portions at the upper end thereof. When fully loaded or laden with heavy objects, a great deal of stress is placed on the handle portions which can result in tearing of the bag or the disengagement of the handles from the bag itself.
Efforts have therefore been made to reinforce the handles and/or to make the handle portions capable of bearing the weight of the contents of the bag. Examples of such efforts are disclosed in C. S. Pease, U.S. Pat. No. 1,355,353; Z. Littman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,661,143; H. I. McMillan, U.S. Pat. No. 2,650,016; S. Kleinhaut, U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,720; L Spruyt, U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,441; R. C. Goodwin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,570; and F. Achelpohl et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,383.
The bags manufactured by the methods described in the abovementioned references are disadvantageous because they do not provide sufficient support for bags fully loaded with heavy objects. In particular such bags provide inadequate support in vicinity of the handle portions of the bag where stress from the weight of the contents of the bag is the greatest. Such bags often experience failure at the handle portions when the contents of the bag exceeds about 5 pounds.
It would therefore be a significant advance in the manufacture of paper and plastic bags to provide a construction which allows weights exceeding 5 pounds and preferably up to about 20 pounds. Such bags would provide the added benefit of reducing the number of bags needed to carry groceries and the like by a typical consumer.